harry potter

Got $1.3 million in golden galleons burning a hole in your pocket?

We have festivals, walks, a chance to break a world record, concerts and more!

Harry Potter in the Park Festival is in Sparta on Saturday, August 26 from 3:30pm - 9pm at Rogers Park.

Twenty years ago today one woman introduced the world to one of the most imaginative stories of all time. The Boy Who Lived was summoned into existence by J.K. Rowling when Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone first hit shelves in 1997, inciting an international fandom among both kids and adults that remains as active as ever today. So how do you go about celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Potter-verse?

J.K. Rowling is a pretty gracious woman. Beyond giving us the Wizarding World, regularly answering Harry Potter fan questions on Twitter, and annually apologizing for character deaths, she also gives back a little. In 2008, the author wrote an idea for a Potter prequel and auctioned it off to raise funds for a literacy charity. Now someone has stolen that rare prequel, because the world is full of ungrateful muggles.

Quick, name the quirkiest character Jim Broadbent has played. Are you thinking of his plastic surgeon in Brazil? Or maybe his zany Moulin Rouge! owner. What about his tiny red-haired thief in The Borrowers? But don’t forget all four of his characters in Cloud Atlas. Few actors have a resume as varied as Broadbent’s, who’s worked with everyone from Martin Scorsese to multiple collaborations with Mike Leigh.

Stocks in magic are down. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was less than fantastic (hey-o), the much-touted stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won’t come to Broadway for months, and we can assume that the constant onslaught that was 2016 sapped many children of their belief in the wonder of magic. The Harry Potter-industrial complex needs a shot in the arm, and head honchos over at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park may have just the thing to inspire a little excitement.

How do you make a successful Harry Potter prequel without Harry Potter? J.K. Rowling’s new spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, travels back nearly 70 years to 1926 before the events of the first Potter movie to tell a whole new story in a new setting with (almost) all new characters. Reviving the magical universe from the second biggest franchise of all time is a pretty risky move, but Fantastic Beasts does a good job of blending the familiar with the new.

Love all things Halloween but can't stand scary movies? Try these 25 magical, mildly spooky and family-friendly movies on for fun size.

A few weeks ago, Daniel Radcliffe gave a very diplomatic answer when asked if he would ever consider a return to the Harry Potter franchise. And while the actor admitted that he would never close the door to the possibility — for the right script and with the right people involved — it turns out he may not have a franchise to return to. As reported by io9, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling told reporters at the premiere of London stage show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child that her beloved character was done after the events of the play.

Are you excited for the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Can't wait to get your hands on it? Well, there are a couple different places right here in West Michigan that will be holding midnight release parties.

So the new Harry Potter "book" is really the script from the stage play in London. Well, there's going to be a midnight release party here in town. Here are the details.